This invention comprehends and provides for anti-terrorist structure in the form of a substantially indestructible, extensible and retractable barricade or road block to prevent unauthorized access into roads and entranceways, such as parking garages under buildings, and to provide security around buildings or other vulnerable structures. The form or arrangement of such structure being for control of, and immobilization of vehicular traffic.
Road block apparatus, such as swinging or hydraulically lifted gates; a cable and flexible barrier combination that is capable of nondestructively snaring and securing a vehicle until the occupants can be removed; and underground installed apparatus that telescope members to impede traffic into and out of parking lots, direct traffic as required or to reserve parking spaces are known to those skilled in the art. Many patented apparatus pertaining to this subject can be found in classes 404 and 409 of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Examples of some pertinent prior art patents are listed and discussed as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,430, issued Apr. 23, 1963 to D. T. Emmel discloses extensible and retractable, flexible, post-like traffic markers adapted to be installed on roadways to instruct, guide and control traffic. This apparatus was intended to replace manual labor required for installing and removing rubber pylons, wooden barriers, concrete curbs and the like.
U.S. Patent No 4,320,380, issued Mar. 26, 1982 to Berard et al, teaches electronically controlled safety mechanism for a highway exit ramp, taking the form of sensor apparatus embedded in the roadway that is capable of detecting vehicle movement in the wrong direction and actuation of a swing-gate type barrier in order to impede a vehicle from entering an express way in the wrong direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,508, issued Mar. 18, 1986, to Harry D. Dickinson teaches a remotely controlled bollard trafficway barrier and vehicle arrest system comprised of a cast in place foundation and replaceable mounting frame to carry a lift means for a bollard, and with access for replacement of the bollard. The bollards are flush with the grade when retracted and are extended by fluid power and controls.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,742, issued Dec. 29, 1987, to Harry D. Dickinson was a co-pending application to his above patent. This patent covers much of the teachings included in his prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,508, but includes manual retraction instead of mechanically.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,200, issued Aug. 8, 2000, to Inventor Pepe et al, teaches an anti-terror security barrier to prevent unauthorized vehicles from entering a secure area around buildings. The device is manually operated and includes a telescoping bollard incorporated into a foundation embedded below the ground. A gas-charged spring lift mechanism extends the bollards. A locking mechanism secures the bollards in the extended and retracted positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,188 B1, issued Nov. 6, 2001, to Ousterhout et al, discloses a mobile, non-lethal, rapidly deployed vehicle immobilizer apparatus for impeding the forward motion of a land vehicle when associated supports are extended, the cable and flexible barrier arrangement will arrest the motion of the vehicle without damaging the vehicle or injuring the occupants.
All of the above cited prior patents, to one extent or another, contain the ability to impede vehicular traffic, however, none of them include all the features embraced in the instant application, including speed sensors and peripheral electronics that calculate the speed of an oncoming vehicle and makes a determination that the vehicle does or does not pose a threat or danger to the building or structure the instant road block is protecting. If the calculated speed of the vehicle is such that an impact with a building or entry into an underground parking area is imminent, the road block is instantaneously extended in order to dead stop the vehicle.
The instant road block apparatus includes an under grade, steel reinforced structural concrete foundation that contains an automatically actuated mechanism to extend or retract one or more heavy duty bollards capable of stopping most vehicles, and, peripheral electronic equipment capable of sensing the speed of an approaching vehicle.
If the electronic calculated speed poses no threat, an on duty operator can manually start an automatic, but much slower extension of the road block mechanism.